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Monday, October 27, 2008

Stevens guilty on 7 counts, won't quit Senate race


ASHINGTON – Ted Stevens, a pillar of the Senate for 40 years and the face of Alaska politics almost since statehood, was convicted of a seven-felony string of corruption charges Monday — found guilty of accepting a bonanza of home renovations and fancy trimmings from an oil executive and then lying about it.

Unbowed, even defiant, Stevens accused prosecutors of blatant misconduct and said, "I will fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have."

The senator, 84 and already facing a challenging re-election contest next Tuesday, said he would stay in the race against Democrat Mark Begich. Though the convictions are a significant blow for the Senate's longest-serving Republican, they do not disqualify him, and Stevens is still hugely popular in his home state.

The jury — itself a daily drama, trying to expel one of its own members — convicted Stevens of all the felony charges he faced, accusations based heavily on the testimony of a wealthy oil contractor who for years had been a fishing and drinking buddy.

Visibly shaken after the verdicts were read — the jury foreman declaring "guilty" seven times — Stevens tried to intertwine his fingers but quickly put his hands down to his side after noticing they were trembling. As he left the courtroom, he got a quick kiss on the cheek from his wife, Catherine, who testified on his behalf during the trial.

Stevens faces up to five years in prison on each count when he is sentenced, but under federal guidelines he is likely to receive much less time, if any. The judge did not immediately set a sentencing date.

The monthlong trial revealed that employees for VECO Corp., an oil services company, transformed Stevens' modest Alaska mountain cabin into a modern, two-story home with wraparound porches, a sauna and a wine cellar.

Stevens said he had no idea he was getting freebies. He said his wife handled the business of the renovation. He said he paid $160,000 for the project and believed that covered everything.

As his attorneys had during the trial, Stevens said in a statement issued afterward that prosecutors had improperly held back favorable evidence, had sent a crucial witness back to Alaska and "allowed evidence to be introduced that they knew was false."

"I am innocent," he declared. "I ask that Alaskans and my Senate colleagues stand with me as I pursue my rights." Addressing the folks back home, he added, "I will come home Wednesday and ask for your vote."

He had asked for an unusually speedy trial, hoping he'd be exonerated in time to win re-election. Despite being a convicted felon, he is not required to drop out of the race or resign from the Senate. If he wins re-election, he can continue to hold his seat because there is no rule barring felons from serving in Congress. The Senate could vote to expel him on a two-thirds vote.

"Put this down: That will never happen — ever, OK?" Stevens said in the weeks leading up to his trial. "I am not stepping down. I'm going to run through, and I'm going to win this election."

Taking nothing for granted, Begich said merely, "This past year has been a difficult time for Alaskans, but our people are strong and resilient and I believe that we will be able to move forward together to address the critical challenges that face Alaska."

Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, said, "The verdict shines a light on the corrupting influence of the big oil service company that was allowed to control too much of our state. It was part of the culture of corruption I was elected to fight. And that fight must always move forward regardless of party or seniority or even past service."

"I'm confident Senator Stevens will do what's right for the people of Alaska."

Carl Shepro, a professor of political science at the University of Alaska in Anchorage, said, "It's very possible that he's going to win the election."

Many Alaskans believe Stevens is being unjustly attacked, and that the charges against him don't amount to real corruption, Shepro said.

Democrats, hoping to pick up a long-sought Republican seat, have invested heavily in the race, running television advertisements starring fictional FBI agents and featuring excerpts from wiretaps introduced at the trial.

Stevens' conviction hinged on the testimony of Bill Allen, the senator's longtime friend and the founder of VECO. He testified he never billed Stevens for the work on the house and the senator knew he was getting a special deal.

Stevens spent three days on the witness stand, vehemently denying that allegation. He said his wife paid every bill they received.

Living in Washington, thousands of miles away, made it impossible to monitor the project every day, he said. Stevens relied on Allen to oversee the renovations, he said, and his friend deceived him by not forwarding all the bills.

Prosecutors used a barrage of witnesses to question how Stevens could have been in the dark about VECO's work on the project. VECO employees testified to seeing Stevens at the house. One left him a company business card. Stevens sent thank you notes to others.

Stevens' conviction is the highlight of a lengthy FBI investigation into Alaska corruption, but prosecutors noted that it is not the end. Stevens' longtime Republican colleague, Rep. Don Young, remains under investigation for his ties to VECO. Stevens' son, Ben, a former Alaska lawmaker, is also under investigation.

Stevens is a legendary figure in Alaska, where he has wielded political influence since before statehood. His knack for steering billions of dollars in federal money to his home state has drawn praise from his constituents but consternation from others.

Stevens is the fifth senator convicted of criminal charges. The last previous one was Republican David Durenberger of Minnesota, who was indicted in 1993 on charges of conspiring to make fraudulent claims for Senate reimbursement of $3,825 in lodging expenses. He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and was sentenced to one year of probation and a $1,000 fine.

The jury left the court without comment.

Said U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan: "The jurors have unanimously told me that no one has any desire to speak to any member of the media. They have asked to go home and they are en route home."

They had been a story all by themselves after deliberations began last Wednesday.

They complained of stress and violent outbursts in the jury room. They tried to expel one of their members. They asked to go home early. Then one of them said her father had died, and she was allowed to go home to California. Then she couldn't be reached.

The judge put an alternate on the jury on Monday, and within hours there was a verdict.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

China far ahead, but Kazakhstan still desires India alliance

Astana, Oct 26 (IANS) Despite being slow off the block, India can still build close economic and trade ties with oil and mineral rich Kazakhstan as the country is keen to attract Indian investments and expand economic collaboration, experts say.

Kazakhstan is a potential goldmine and has rich deposits of as many as 99 elements out of the 110 listed in Mendelev's periodic table. Plus, it has large proven reserves of oil.

Yet, while China-Kazakhstan bilateral trade is currently around $14 billion and is tipped to touch $15 billion by 2010, India-Kazakhstan bilateral trade stands at a minuscule $200 million or so, according to foreign office figures here.

China has also inked several energy partnerships with the oil rich Central Asian countries including Kazakhstan and is an active member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that includes besides China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

But despite China's lead, Kazakhstan is still keen to attract Indian investments and expand economic and trade ties.

Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Nurian Yermekbayev told a visiting IANS correspondent: 'We are interested in India's partnership in information technology (IT), space research and oil exploration.'

Says Indian envoy Ashok Sajjanhar: 'Indian businessmen couldn't take advantage of Kazakhstan's tax incentives during the initial years of its independence. But it is never too late.'

Kazakhstan is still keen to attract investments from India in a number of sectors where the Southeast Asian economic giant has an edge over most other countries such as education, petrochemicals, IT, tourism, power generation and transmission, oil refining, railways and agriculture as well as agro-processing, he says.

'Even collaboration in space research can be a great bet,' Sajjanhar told IANS in this business hub and capital city of Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan possesses the world's eighth largest oil reserves, the world's largest lead, tungsten, barite, and uranium reserves, the world's second-largest chromite, silver, and zinc reserves and the third- largest deposits of manganese besides significant deposits of gold, copper and iron ore.

Located near the northeast portion of the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan claims most of the sea's biggest known oil fields. According to the Energy Information Administration of the US government, Kazakhstan's combined onshore and offshore proven hydrocarbon reserves have been estimated between nine billion and 40 billion barrels - comparable to OPEC members Algeria on the low end and Libya on the high end.

OPEC stands for Oil and Petroleum Exporting Countries.

The country produced approximately 1.45 million barrels per day (bbl/d) of oil in 2007 and consumed 250,000 bbl/d, resulting in net petroleum exports of around 1.2 million bbl/d.

Oil exports are the foundation of the country's economy and have ensured that average real gross domestic product (GDP) growth has stayed above nine percent for the last six years, making it one of the fastest growing countries in the world.

India, on the other hand, imports nearly 70 percent of its oil requirement, most of it from the Middle East. To overcome its dependence on the Middle East, the country needs to diversify its sources of oil import.

For India, the most attractive oil domain outside the Persian Gulf is the Caspian Basin. Recognizing this, India is already trying to befriend the region and gain a foothold.

But experts say India must do more to build meaningful relationships with countries such as Kazakhstan. Says strategic expert Sanat Kushkumbayev: 'It's time India looked towards east in its close neighbourhood rather than focusing only on the west.'

Kushkumbayev is deputy director of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies.

'For Kazakhstan, India is strategically a vital partner. India has a responsible role in the Central Asian region. And our country is especially interested in collaboration in oil refining, railways and agriculture,' he adds.

Kazakhstan, the last Soviet republic to declare independence in December 1991, is a country bigger than the whole of western Europe. It is nestled between two Asian giants - Russia and China - sharing borders with Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and the Caspian Sea.

Since its independence, the country has received more than $40 billion of foreign investment and, according to official estimates, the country's oil and gas sector is tipped to attract $150-200 billion in the next 10 years.

At the official level too, Kazakhstan is very keen to expand ties with India given New Delhi's increasing demand for uranium to fuel its growing nuclear energy requirements.

Thus, despite China's substantial lead and its far-reaching presence in the Central Asian region, experts say it is still not too late for India to join the race and leverage its edge in many sectors like oil exploration and space research.

Chandrayaan-1 nears 75,000 km height, inches closer to Moon


Bangalore, Oct 25 (PTI) India's Chandrayaan-1 has covered 20 per cent of its journey towards Moon as ISRO scientists today performed the second orbit-raising manoeuvre. The lunar spacecraft's on-board 440 Newton Liquid engine was fired for about 16 minutes from 5.48 am.

With this engine firing, Chandrayaan-1's apogee (farthest point to earth) has been raised to 74,715 km, while its perigee (closest point to earth) has been raised to 336 km, ISRO spokesperson S Satish said. ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair termed today's orbit-raising operation as "record-breaking".

"So far, Indian-made satellites have reached to a height of only 36,000 km. Today's firing has taken Chandrayaan-1 to something like 75,000 km.

That's well beyond what we have reached so far. It was a good event, and done precisely," Nair, also secretary in the Department of Space, said.

Indicating the complexity of the India's first unmanned lunar mission, he said when the spacecraft is closer to the earth, its gravitational field is well defined and scientists can shape the trajectory. "When you go further and further, earth's influence comes down.

Influence of Moon and Sun becomes predominant. Even other planets will have an influence on it," he said.

Moon lies at a distance of about 3,84,000 km from earth. ISRO officials said Chandrayaan-1 is expected to settle into lunar orbit, 100 km above Moon, on November 8.

All systems on board the spacecraft, launched on October 22, were functioning normally, ISRO said, adding that further orbit-raising manoeuvres to take Chandrayaan-1 to still higher orbits are planned in the next few days. PTI.

Friday, October 24, 2008

8 New model Laptops...Really Magnificient

1. The Xbox 360 Laptop

Another work of artistic brilliance/insanity from Mr. Benjamin J Heckendorn, this is a laptop fashioned from an Xbox 360 (complete with a comedic conversation between him and the sales rep at the store he bought it from) and, like the rest of his stuff, actually works! Now you can show your friends just how “hueg liek ecksbawks” this laptop really is.

2. The Duke Nukem-style Laptop

Limited to just 300 units and mentioned a few years back (so most likely sold out), this crazy-looking laptop comes with a bunch of cool stuff to customize the look with, including stickers and wallpapers. Brought to you by NEC and Takara, the TYPE-N01 even comes with an “emergency” power-off button, which turns the laptop off immediately. Whilst I’m sure this was meant for when “intruders” try to hack the laptop whilst you’re on it, I’ll bet it was actually used to prevent embarrassing situations when someone barges into your room without knocking.

3. The Pimp-Yet-Kitsch Laptop

Customized by the seemingly-pretentious Testa Motari, this is a laptop which has been lovingly decked out in authentic Brazilian Rosewood with solid 18kt gold. The keyboard is laser-etched and gold plated, as is the touchpad and the mouse. Truly quite decadent, yet also leaves you with a feeling somewhat akin to “…meh”.

4. The Custom Laptop Shop

Not technically a laptop, but a place that customizes them. Based in Miami, NVousPC are willing to personalize a laptop in a number of crazy ways, including paintjobs (of just about anything) and engravings. It seems that for the design of your laptop, the sky is the limit as long as it involves putting a picture on the back of your laptop, which is pretty cool but not mind-blowingly epic.

5. The Do-It-Yourself Laptop

A person by the name of Torquil was fed up with the prices of computer parts, so decided to make one. Wanting to build a laptop that could be upgraded at any point as components grew too old and needed to be replaced. As you can see from the pictures, it seemed like tricky business, but the end result is a very shiny laptop that works, even if it is a bit big and resembles an up-market hairdryer.

6. The Wii Laptop

Another fantastic console mod from Mr. Heckendorn, but this time it’s a Wii console that gets the portable treatment. Sporting a 7-inch LCD screen, controller port, built-in power supply and even a short-range sensor bar, it’s possible with this to finally be able to randomly play the Wii console in the street.

7. The Wooden Laptop

Ok, so the whole laptop isn’t made from wood, which would (ha ha) be much more of a technological feat of awesomeness. However, the wood apparently comes from a case of Sicilian wine that the modder had to down in 1 minute in order to make the laptop casing. I may have made that last bit up. Combined with some more wood, silk, screws and leather, this is the final result.

8. The Guitar Laptop (or maybe the Laptop Guitar?)

Guitarist and all-round technical wizard Ben Lewry chopped up a laptop and smooshed it into an electric guitar. The result is a lot more pleasing than the description makes it out to be. The awesome thing is that both the guitar and the laptop function, so Ben’s made it so that the laptop displays a strange audio/visualization program that reacts to whatever is being played on the guitar, a lot like that thing on windows Media Player.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

will pavan kalyan attack on jayasudha

With ‘Sahaja Nati’ Jayasudha entering the politics and taking the holy water from Congress, it appears that she has already got onto the job of criticism and her first target looked quite obviously as Megastar Chiranjeevi though she was not direct about it.
On one instance, she mentioned that those crowds who are coming to see [...]

Delhi Metro bridge collapses, 1 dead


A part of the flyover under construction for the Delhi Metro collapsed in the eastern part of the capital on Sunday, leaving one person dead and several others injured.

The accident happened at Vikas marg near Shakarpur in the early hours of the day, when a launcher, which is used to lift pillars, collapsed.

As a result, a pillar fell on a Blueline bus and some other vehicles.

The flyover was being constructed for Noida-Indraprastha line, which was to be operational from 2009.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corp has ordered an inquiry and chief minister Shiela Dikshit has announced Rs five lakh ex-gratia for the dead.

The injured included passersby and workers involved in the construction work. All injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, they said.

Some other vehicles were also crushed under the rubble, police said, adding the traffic at the accident site has been diverted.

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